o kind to force it on him, especially as he
had taken away the bitterest part of their trial in remembering it, by
explaining to them that he was far from being so wicked in the matter of
the theft as they had at first been (how slowly and reluctantly!) almost
forced to believe.

"Have you ever heard--oh, how shall I put it?--have you ever heard,
aunty, how things went on at Roslyn after I ran away?" he asked one
evening, with evident effort.

"No, love, I have not. After they had sent home your things, I heard no
more; only two most kind and excellent letters--one from Dr Rowlands,
and one from your friend Mr Rose--informed me of what had happened
about you."

"Oh, have they sent home my things?" he asked eagerly. "There are very
few among them that I care about; but there is just one--"

"I guessed it, my Eric, and, but that I feared to agitate you, should
have given it you before;" and she drew out of a drawer the little
likeness of Vernon's sweet childish face.

Eric gazed at it till the sobs shook him, and tears blinded his eyes.

"Do not weep, my boy," said Mrs Trevor, kissing his forehead. "Dear
little Verny, remember, is in a land where God Himself wipes away all
tears from off all eyes."

"Is there anything else you would like?" asked Fanny, to divert his
painful thoughts. "I will get you anything in a moment."

"Yes, Fanny dear, there is the medal I got for saving Russell's life,
and one or two things which he gave me;--ah, poor Edwin, you never knew
him!"

He told her what to fetch, and when she brought them it seemed to give
him great pleasure to recall his friends to mind by name, and speak of
them--especially of Montagu and Wildney.

"I have a plan to please you, Eric," said Mrs Trevor. "Shall I ask
Montagu and Wildney here? we have plenty of room for them."

"Oh, thank you," he said, with the utmost eagerness. "Thank you,
dearest aunt." Then suddenly his countenance fell. "Stop--shall we?--
yes, yes, I am going to die soon, I know; let me see them before I die."

The Trevors did not know that he was aware of the precarious tenure of
his life, but they listened to him in silence, and did not contradict
him; and Mrs Trevor wrote to both the boys (whose directions Eric
knew), telling them what had happened, and begging them, simply for his
sake, to come and stay with her for a time. She hinted clearly that it
might be the last opportunity they would ever have of seeing him.

Wildney